Angelic Vengeance and Romance
by Chocobo Watcher
Summary: Promises can be broken. Curses can be made, and caused to extend beyond death. Especially when an old friend/nemesis isn't quite as deceased as you imagined. Will our two spirit heroes manage to reunite, or will they each wander alone forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue and Disclaimer**

Amarissia is responsible for the spark which began this story, as well as permission to refer to certain elements of her own writing within. Genesis is back, in his usual bad way. Zack and Angeal haven't seen the last of him! And the Deep Ground Alliance is sure to throw some interesting things into the mix. I can only hope I am worthy of reading!

I don't own any characters pertaining to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus or anything pertaining to Square/soft/Enix/mutant/other whatever in any way at all. My own characters , when they appear, are just that, mine). :) . To be honest, I also don't agree with quite a bit of the new canon(s) anyway. You've been warned, stay away if you don't like. And I **swear** Alfred Ashford doesn't have any part in the plot, despite his devious attempt(s) to do so. I'm pretty sure it's Genesis he's after, but I think Weiss has dibs for the moment. Onward!

**Before Story Crisis?**

And now a word from _the helpless minions_...I mean the choir. During rehearsal:

Zack: You better take a look at this, Ang. The story gets pretty emo. (Hands copy to Angeal)

Angeal: Zack and I are going to be doing **what?**

Cloud: At least **I **don't have to dress up like a girl this time! (laughs happily)

Zack: Hold It. No way I'm being part of the Aeris department. It's in my contract.

Aeris: And just what is **that** supposed to mean?!

Angeal: It means you're not having your way with him, missy.

Aeris: Which **him **are you talking about, Mister-I'm-not-inclined-that-way-in-order-to-protect -my-career?

Angeal : (_glares at Aeris): _The only one you **didn't** manage to get last lifetime and you **know** it!

Zack: (sighs with relief) Once again our hero escapes being molested while in drag!

Cloud: I am sooooooo glad not to be you, Zack! (laughs)

(_Aeris rolls her eyes and leaves the room)_

Sephiroth: Now that that's all settled, does anybody know **who** let that weirdo in here?

Alfred Ashford: I am not a weirdo, thank you very much! **I **am _**Alfred Ashford**_ from Resident Eeeeeevil! And I don't understand why I was banned from the auditions! I make a **much** better villain than any of you lot. In fact, _**I make Sephiroth look like a pool boy on steroids!!**_. When I'm not busy pretending that I'm my own twin sister, that is. Mmmmm, taffeta...But where was I?

Oh yes. I am also waaaay above you all in class,breeding, and endowments! So if you'll all just move over there so that I can demonstrate my enormous **talent** to the audience...AAAAAAAAAAGGH!!

(Effect: a large fireball completely immolates Alfred, causing him to explode)

Sephiroth: _**Nobody**_ gets away with talking about me like that when I'm in the room. Nobody! Got that? Good.

Genesis: **I** thought he was rather charming. We could have used him for a coffee table or something back at the ranch. Weiss, what do you think?

Weiss: Are you kidding?! There's barely room in there for both of **our** egos, let alone **his**! Or any more um...ah...equipment...But you're right, he was alluring. In a leave-him-chained- and-gagged- in- a-dungeon-for-the-next-500-years- sort of way. How unfortunate.

Angeal: (_through his teeth)_ **How** did those two manage to score a contract? **Why** **are pup and I being forced to work with them?!** When this is over our agent is _**so fired**_!!

(Blackout)

You see just how popular I am around here at the moment.

Not! Hopefully i'll be able to finish without a full scale mutiny. XD

azazazazazazazazazazazazazazazazazazaz

**Chapter One**

There was no doubt about it. The three of them were "lost." At least as far as Shinra was concerned. Angeal stood just inside the mouth of the cave. The storm outside was roaring mercilessly, at almost hurricane force. Lightning stuck the ground at irregular intervals, interspersed with the rain, which drenched the cliff face in pools of liquid.

His companions were lolling about next to a fire in the middle of the cave. Angeal wasn't exactly sure **how** Sephiroth had managed this one. This was supposed to have been a routine survival sortie. Hot, sweaty jungle grunt-work. And yet here the three of them were, miles from nowhere, incommunicado.

When Sephiroth had smiled and attached the GPS monitor to the inflatable ring and thrown it off the cliffside and into the river, Angeal had raised an eyebrow. Zack hadn't made a peep. He seemed to be getting used to this sort of behavior from the two of them by now. Angeal wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. The fact of the matter was that this **was** going to be training for the pup, just not in the way that Shinra intended. And by the time the weather let up that ring would hopefully be washed up on the beach of the third continent. Sephiroth would figure something out. Everyone was so afraid of him that they dared not question anything he said. Shinra didn't have a clue as to who he really was, and he was happy to keep it that way.

When Sephiroth opened the radio and other communication devices and rendered them temporarily inoperable, **Zack **raised an eyebrow. The general said nothing, just smiled a wicked smile. The one thing they hadn't counted on was the storm. It had blown up in the early afternoon and showed no signs of abating. It became rather obvious once they found the cave something was going on. The fact that it contained a complete campsite with enough rations for more than a week and enough bedding for an army was a dead giveaway. If there was one thing the general truly despised, it was being forced to go without comfort.

Angeal and Zack quickly set up camp, while Sephiroth made up the fire. Neither bothered to ask how the general had managed to get the feather soft fireproof mattresses up the cliffside, let alone the linens. He was only too happy to let the two of them discard their shirts and work up a sweat heaving things around. Sephiroth made up for it, however, by preparing a gourmet meal from rations. And items he pulled from the backpack Angeal had forced Zack to tote without allowing him to see the contents.

Sephiroth seemed to have inborn natural grace. It showed in everything the man did- how he moved, the way he spoke, how he held a sword...and the manner in which he **performed**. And yet, Zack was quick to note, he was never sure of being noticed when his eyes strayed to the motion of hands. Hands that were deft and sure enough to quickly strip away the armor that covered his supple chest. Hands that could caress, lift, and invade. He closed his eyes and savored the moment, imagining them.

Truth be told, he loved the hands of Angeal the most, of course. Whether clad in fingerless leather gloves or gauntlets, there were few nights Zack spent alone that he did not imagine that touch. A moment ago those hands had touched zack, causing him to draw in his breath. Just the thought of being touched by him made Zack shiver.

That thought was interrupted by the embrace of Angeal, who was now moving against the small of his back. Sephiroth reached down and gently guided his head lower, to an angle that would allow him deeper access. Zack drew him in eagerly. The coolness reminded him somehow of fresh water , followed by a sweetness.

Sephiroth used his hands to support Zack as Angeal drew his arms back. Zack moaned around Sephiroth as he reached beyond his neck to caress and pinch. At the same moment he felt Angeal press against him, spreading him gently, but momentarily. The first touch caused him to shudder just a little, but hands kept him gently pinned.

Zack felt himself straining the air with every thrust. He longed for that shattering moment when everything stood still and he seemed to float for a while, only to be brought to earth again by the sound of his own voice. The fact that he was pinned almost without breath had brought him to an edge that both frightened and exhilarated. He was safe within these hands, he knew. Because of that, he would let them take him anywhere they chose to guide him.

It was for this reason that he moaned in frustration when Angeal pulled away, leaving him deeply aroused and wanting to fall more than ever. In a moment they had changed positions, and Zack found himself suckling the fingers of his mentor. He took them in greedily.

"Sing for him, puppy. The way you would for me." as he spoke, Angeal removed his fingers, slid into his mouth, and was quickly engulfed in the warm tightness that he adored. Angeal could only admit to himself that he loved the way Zack caressed him so gently, opening deeper when his hands tangled in that lavender scented hair. He knew that he would never love or fuck this way again, and he was thankful for it. It made all the time following orders and all the wild goose chase practice sorties worth it. He just wished those bastards Genesis and Lazard would have left the boy alone.

Months- no, years of rebuilding trust, tears, the worries Zack might never recover enough to **do** this again- were being left behind, he hoped. There seemed to be so little time left before he had to explain the impossible. Killing Genesis was the least of the problem. It was how pup would have to cope, or might cope, once he knew. But that was some time off, and right now was all that mattered. He held all his love within his hands.

Sephiroth bent forward to lap the tears that had began to run involuntarily from the corners of those beautiful eyes with his tongue. The pause between the two men had allowed the sensations to rebuild, to an almost excruciating pitch. Zack allowed himself to be pinned between the two men. Zacks eyes rolled back as he writhed. He felt himself falling and the world went black, for what he thought was a few seconds. Then he felt two pairs of hands caressing his face, and he could breathe again. He opened his eyes. He was lying on his side, in between Angeal and Sephiroth. " I love you puppy." Angeal whispered. "Be good for me." His hands gently turned Zack towards Sephiroth, who drew him into a long, silent kiss.

Later, as they watched him sleep, the two had a conversation

"I'm sorry if it hurt when he called my name. Pup didn't mean it. It's become a reflex with him because of what happened. But we can use that later." Angeal grinned in the darkness.

"He really loves you, you know that." Sephiroth paused. "I find him...beautiful. It is unfortunate that I have a strong predilection for blondes at the moment. But I am grateful. After all that I've suffered at the hands of Hojo lately, I needed it."

"He'll make a good soldier, Seph. I just haven't figured out to explain the inevitable."

"About our deterioration?"

"Yes. The fact that the two of us are in no better a position than Genesis hasn't occurred to him. Or if it has, he certainly hasn't mentioned it. My worry is what he'll do when he figures things out. In the heat of battle, I made a promise. I swore that I would never leave him alone. Trust me, I meant every word of it. If I had known that Genesis would become corrupted, and that the same could happen to me, I'd have thought the better of it."

" It is no better from my side. I envy your ability to love, to make someone yours. We can only hope that the cure they promised us is found. The thought of having to leave my little bird behind distresses me. It is fortunate that neither he nor Zack have been noticed nor touched by Hojo. If the two of them ever find out the real truth about what we suspect, there will be dire consequences. I've done everything I can to conceal the nature of our relationships. It's only a matter of time, Angeal. The truth will come out. Shinra **will** fall. That is the only thing any of us can be sure of.".

aszsazzaszasazasazzassaaz


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Ghost Letters**

I promised that I'd never leave him alone. I've been trapped here now for a very long time. Every night I'm forced to relive my memories; **our** memories. But I can only see them when I close my eyes, because he isn't **here**. I remember the last moment that I spent with him, the terrible look in his eyes when he realized that **he** would be striking the first blow. And the last. With no time left for me to explain. If I had known that I would be forced to break my **second** promise- that I would come for his soul myself- I'd have found a way to live long enough to make sure that Genesis was destroyed for ever.

That bastard managed this somehow. Of that I have no doubt at all. Every night I can **feel** Zack there, but cannot find him. I awakened in darkness, here, in the ruins of this place. We spent so many wonderful times here, just he and I. Those times are gone. Gone until I can find a way to reach him.

I cannot escape this prison. Believe me, I've tried. The sun burns like fire, so I can only venture forth at night. I cannot leave the building ruins. I almost went crazy trying. I know, it's laughable- a spirit trying to destroy itself in order to escape. But it doesn't work. Every damn night I wake up here or am forced to return no matter what I do.

The details change every once in a while. It's how I know who is behind this. The faded classified documents that brought the news of Zacks death, a bloody piece of his shirt, burnt remnants of...Gaia..his hair...that hair...the night I read that before his death he spent 5 years in one of Hojo's tubes.. I wept, I admit. I failed him utterly. I told him only seven years, and it has been over twenty. I try not to imagine his agony. There is no need. It is the same as mine.

My other sorrow is for Cloud. He too has paid a terrible price at the hands of almost everyone. When I think of the conversations I had with Sephiroth about everything...It seems we should have told them. Helped them even to escape, perhaps. But where could they run? I never imagined that what we are could lead to such terrible damage. Granted, Sephiroth at times was extremely arrogant, even before he lost his mind. And he had every right to be. Hojo might have won the battle with Jenova cells, but in creating Sephiroth, he lost the war. Apparently he too caused massive destruction from beyond the grave. I can feel him, too- but the same evil that binds me has also blinded him as well. Gaia, what Shinra hath wrought!

Zack, my beloved, the answer to my prayer- if someday you find this and I am no longer...know that in my heart I never abandoned you. That until the final end, whenever it may come, that I tried to find you. If this is the hell which I must bear for my sins of omission, then I must, no, I **will**- bear it for the both of us. My only hope is that I ...we...can somehow find a way to see each other again. When we do I'll make sure we are never parted, or I promise I will slay every entity within the almighty, and then myself. I love you. Angeal

zazazazazazazazazaza

The rain is so cold. Every night I find myself walking the same road. It always leads to **that** house, the one that we shared so long ago. I keep hoping, somehow, that I'll see you. That you'll come walking out of the forest with your sword slung across your back and tell me that training is over and it's time for us to go home. But when I come home, you're never there.

I remember your promises. You swore that you would never leave me, that you would come for me when it was time. But you weren't there. I looked for you everywhere, until I started waking up here, and that was so long ago. Was it something I did? Said? Did I fail you in some way? I did the best I could, seme. Tried to protect Cloud, but everything went wrong. Jenova turned out to be more powerful than anyone thought and Sephiroth, he...he went mad. He found all the documentation and then...he became someone else. It was as if the rest of us- everything that happened- never existed.

I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but he came to the same end. I'll always remember the look in his eyes, the same way that I'll never forget yours. I don't understand what keeps me here. When I closed my eyes that last time, I knew that I wasn't a hero. Hadn't managed to save or protect those who were the most important. Forgive me, Angeal, for my failure.

When I awoke here, the first time I discovered **that** house- **our** house, I was certain I might find you there. But despite pounding on the doors and every window- nothing. There are nights that I do penance by walking in the storms, letting the rain soak me until the cold makes me numb. I've screamed, cried, pounded my hands until the skin has bled and fallen. I sense you are here somehow. I can feel it! But you are never there to let me in- or you **won't. **

**Please let me inside.** I know that deserve punishment, but not like this. The mistakes, things I might have said-being here- none of it matters. Not without you. Gaia, please help me to find him and end this terrible penance. If I never see you again, seme- know that I will always love you, and only you forever. The after world and my spirit-my body...all are so empty without you.

Here is nothing but a curse if I can't see you.

I love you.

Zack

azazazazazazazazaz


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Genesis Awakened**

In a far away cave some time in the future, Genesis' body lay at the bottom of a black pit. When awakened, he thought himself dead. Muscles screamed with pain as he tried to sit up. So much that he gave up moving after managing to turn onto his back. He lay there unable to think much, and drifted in and out of what he thought was sleep. What was it? Impact? Memory? No. Light. Blinding light, and a voice, distant and far away. Zack? Screaming **his** name? What!?

Genesis opened his eyes. They refused to focus, but he could see. A man about his age with silver grey hair was holding him up. A voice, soft but cold as steel, in his ear. "Drink, brother." Genesis swallowed the potion that was held to his lips slowly, and sputtered as animation slowly returned to his bruised limbs. As his senses became clearer, he realized that he was, in fact, lying down, and in the pit no longer. He was lying on his back atop a large, comfortable four poster bed, which felt comfortable enough. As his eyes adjusted he could see that yhe bed itself was within a large, comfortable room somewhere. The walls were lined with shelves full of books, and a fire crackled brightly within the grate across the room. Sleep overtook him then, and he was returned to the land of dark dreams.

For three days he remained in bed, sleeping most of the time. On the fourth day, when he proved capable of sitting up on his own, the silver haired man spoke to him again for the first time since he had arrived. He was accompanied by a tall thin man in brown, who did not speak, but busied himself with massage, as directed. Genesis was pleased to discover that all sensation was **not** in fact, dead. As the man in brown leaned over him to concentrate on loosening the tight calf muscles, the sight of his bindings intrigued him. If the silver haired man noticed, he made no sign. He was clad from the waist in a pair of soft, brilliantly white leggings. His long hair fell to just above his waist, a twisted river of soft curls. It was his voice that called to him. Cold steel over sharp bones covered with satin skin. Perfect.

"So, you have returned to the realm of the living. That is good. My name is Weiss. The Immaculate, ruler of Deep Ground. Seven days ago Nero and his patrol found you lying at the bottom of a pit. Who are you that you would be thrown so far away from the light?"

"I am called Genesis. Or at least, I was. The last thing I remember is that whelp with a sword yelling something as I fell from a railing. The blow was meant to kill me; it appears that I have managed to remain whole. I was member of an elite group of soldiers created for the purpose of war. By Shinra Corporation. Do you know them?"

Weiss threw back his head and laughed. "**Know** them?" he snorted. " I too am a creation of experiments made by that fool, Hojo. As are all the minions of my kingdom. But Shinra believes us to be lost. Right now they have their hands full with a rebel group called Avalanche. They've been blowing up mako reactors and making life hard, so Shinra has far greater priorities than a few freaks they have trapped in the basement."

Weiss chuckled. "It is an honor to meet the infamous Genesis. Yes, I have heard of you. It was, after all, your DNA that led to my creation. Fortunately for me and to the chagrin of Hojo, I have managed to thwart his hopes. When Nero found your body and reported that he though it **might** be you, I ordered the retrieval at once. An ally of your calibre should **never** be overlooked. And I would be in need of your talents."

"So what, exactly, are you demanding in exchange for the return of my life?"

Weiss sat down next to Genesis and looked deep into his eyes, as if searching for something. Nero stopped massaging his legs and moved to sit next to Weiss, on his knees.

"I want you, Genesis. To take back all that has been taken from us. To help destroy that which would destroy us in the name of science. To rule the forces of the planet so that one day we can create an immaculate future, free of the taint of this world. Join with me, brother, and together we will taste all that the stars have to offer."

"If it leads to the annihilation of those responsible for my present state of being, my answer is yes. I too have scores to settle while still in this world. There are former allies of mine who deserve to be punished, as well as the whelp they assigned to finish me off. The goddess wills the destruction of her enemies, that her knights may herald reunion."

"Ahh, Loveless. I was told that you are rather fond of it." Weiss moved to a bookshelf and carefully removed the book, and handed it to Genesis. "It was found some distance from your body. You have Nero to thank."

The man in brown bowed his head slightly, but did not look up.

"Nero is my brother, but we share a special bond. It was he who chose to be fettered but I who chose what manner of chains he bears. His silence has allowed him to go where many of Deep Ground cannot, and it has proven most useful. It has allowed us to gather much information. Some of it should prove useful to you. We continue to gather information as we prepare for the day of judgement."

" If you know who I am," Genesis replied " then you must know of Angeal and Sephiroth. Do you know where they are now? I am eager to know all that has happened since my...since the delay in my revival, so to speak."

" From what we have managed to confirm, Angeal was killed a short time after Shinra chose to dispose of you. It was Hollander, we suspect, who threw your body into the pit. We stumbled on it **quite** by accident years ago when Deep Ground was still being created. For some reason, it was never recorded. Over the past few years other bodies, mostly those of Shinra experiments, have been found there as well. We have learned much."

"Do you know the whelp who tried to kill me? He was Angeals' protege. His name was Zack Fair. He was exquisite, the sort whose eyes speak volumes. And he would have been mine if it weren't for...Angeal isn't...wasn't all of what he appears to be. He stole something very precious from me long ago. So I, in turn, plucked the innocence from his beloved whelp before he could have a taste. The division director, Lazard had his way with him too. Unbeknownst to me, Lazard recorded everything. He intended to blackmail several people with that, including **me**. But that never came about because the whelp sang to his beloved teacher.

"Ahh," Weiss replied "And then what happened?"

"Angeal was furious, of course, but there was nothing he could do to us. At least not right away. There was a scandal involving upper level Shinra executives and male cadets. As a result there was a moral crackdown and everyone was living under a microscope. Everyone was hiding something. Angeal couldn't accuse me outright because it would send shock waves through the ranks. Even if he did have Sephiroth under his thumb."

Weiss shot Genesis a curious look. "Sephiroth was part of **that** too?". "Oh yes he was. The man is as fond of cadets as the rest of the brass. He made it clear that if either of us did anything else to anyone, we'd pay. I tried to explain that the whelp had come to us, asked **us,** but he refused to listen. Angeal told us that if we even **looked** at him he'd blow everything wide open. So what could we do? We behaved.

Then Angeal managed to get himself and the whelp transferred for a while. I don't see how the brass didn't find that a little strange. He was doing the same thing we were. The only difference was that he had executive permission as his teacher." Genesis snorted.

"I owed Lazard some payback for that video. And because of having to behave we were soon both as eager as rabbits. And that's where I made the fatal mistake. Six months later, Lazard found this beautiful blonde cadet that Sephiroth had his eye on. Kid had total eyes for the man. But we didn't know that. All we cared about was that neither of us had played for months.

As it turns out, he was just like the whelp. Let us have our way with him. So good that it made him cry. But then on his way back to the barracks the boy manages to fall out of a window. And guess who is there to catch him?"

" Sephiroth." Weiss said.

"Exactly. And what do you think he does to explain what how that happened? He sang just like the whelp did and said we raped him. This time there wasn't any waiting. Sephiroth notified Lazard to come to his office and Lazard shot himself. And then Angeal came to deal with me. Bastard had the masamune too. I played him portions of the tape to prove what I said, but he wouldn't listen. And that is how I came to die the first time. And why it's probably covered up. because the upper level brass are **terrified** of Sephiroth, and it made him seem the culprit."

"Explain how you've managed to escape death". Weiss, who was sure he had an deviant sort of scum in front of him, allowed Genesis to continue. He didn't believe most of what Genesis was saying for a second. Weiss was a rather twisted sort himself. Besides, he wanted to know more. And find out just how a re-animated body felt for himself. Eventually.

"It was Hollander, that idiot, who found me. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, so he put what he thought was a corpse in the morgue. But the goddess had other plans. It was she who woke me from my dark sleep then, as now. Hollander told me that he had found a drug that might slow the deterioration process. I allowed him to inject me with it in exchange for his keeping my being alive a secret.

What Hollander didn't tell me was the drug had one small side effect. It turned the recipient into a vampire over time. It proved to be utterly worthless aside from the vampirism. I decided to use it to my own advantage, since I was forced to sneak about in order to get what I needed. my being dead inspired me."

"You're just the sort of devious mind needed within Deep Ground," Weiss said. "Continue".

"Over the next few weeks, I chose my victims carefully. The letters of their names spelled out a specific message that I had for Angeal. I **wanted** him to know it was me. I was hoping to become strong enough to kill him, but the drug affected that too, as I found out later on.

When I finally went to kill that idiot, Hollander, Angeal showed up and of course brought the whelp along. It would have gone smoothly had that bastard, Hojo, not arrived as well. Doctor Hollander **did** do me a favor in one small way. He stole something called Jenova cells, the same ones used to create Sephiroth, and injected me with them. It was not until this confrontation that I learned that small bit of truth. As expected, the whelp attacked me again. He fought well this time and soon I was in a much weakened state. I allowed him to think that he had me, and as he struck the last blow, hurled myself over a railing and into the darkness. And all remained black until I woke up here."

Weiss remained silent throughout Genesis' narration, and used the opportunity to look him over secretly. Something about him made the immaculate want to feel his sharp bones and soft hair. He also knew that he would do whatever it took to taste the flesh and perhaps even what blood (if any) remained in the veins of the battered angel. It wouldn't be forever, of course. There were no guarantees. Genesis would, of course, meet Rosso and Azul, and a few select warriors capable of keeping secrets.

The infamous had been secretly doing the same. Genesis found himself aroused, but he found it difficult to pinpoint exactly why. All he knew was that he had to run his hands through that long silver hair. This Weiss would be easy to manipulate, so good to taste. An alliance, for now, would prove most useful indeed. And when the time came...Genesis shivered with the delightful thought of his revenge.

wgngnwgnwwgngnwgwn


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Whispers In The Dark**

Cloud lay on his back and gazed up at the sea of stars. The night air was cool and gently ruffled his hair and that of his companion. The wisps of black hair gently tickled the young blondes chest, teased his erect nipples. He squirmed as he felt droplets of cool liquid as they suddenly struck his navel. They were followed by the gentle pressure of a warm, suckling lips and tongue.

Cloud closed his eyes, and shifted slightly as he began to feel his arousal. The scent of the spilled liquor was redolent of apricots and honeyed almonds. The tongue finished teasing , and moved lower, leaving traces of apricot scented breath in its wake. How long had it been since... Gaia, it had been **years. ** The fierce arousal that had lain almost dormant for so long responded to the gentle sensations and worked towards becoming a storm. Cloud let out a small gasp as two fingers entered his narrower passage, then a low guttural sound as lips enclosed him. They brought him just to taught hardness, and then there was a change of sensation as the warm left momentarily. A slight cooling sensation from the dribbling of a bit more liquor, and the tongue resumed work. As he neared the edge of deep arousal it stopped and Cloud felt his legs being pushed open and back against his chest. He felt himself begin to dribble as he was penetrated.

"Nnnnn...ghh...ahhh..." Cloud felt a tear slip from the corner of his eye as he arched his back to meet the hardness that was driving him nearly mad. Memories flashed behind his closed eyes in seconds. It felt good, so damn good, if this is chaos then let it never end. He felt himself raised in the air so that he might be deeply penetrated, resting the palms of his hands on the ground beneath.

As the hard shaft pressed itself as deep as the tight passage would allow he exploded, spilling onto himself and also the grass beneath. A few seconds more and he felt the flow of seed deep inside himself, and then the soft withdrawal as he was lowered back to the ground.

A soft, almost purr-like growl caused Cloud to open his eyes. He gazed into the familiar red eyes, knowing they did not intend him harm. "Gods, that was...amazing. I'd almost forgotten what that was like!". Vincent just growled again and pulled him into a soft embrace. " We've got the rest of the night ahead of us, and it's one all. And I'm afraid that I must insist on a tie-breaker."

All of a sudden, there was a loud banging noise. Cloud sat up in the darkness and sighed in extreme annoyance. He raked his hand across his eyes, brushing his hair back. Someone was pounding on the door. " Oh, fuck this!" Cloud expectorated, resigning himself to the fact that he had awoken from a dream he wanted to finish. He hauled himself upwards and rubbed his eyes. The bedside lamp was not a particularly bright one; but the light made him squint nevertheless. The clock radio showed the time as just after 2. a.m.

The knocking resumed, more insistent this time. "Hold on, I'm coming!" Cloud threw a tee shirt on over his underwear and half stalked, half-staggered to the door. The peephole in the door reflected an familiar face, one he'd wanted to see in person for a rather long time. Vincent Valentine stood in front of the transom, backpack on and satchel in hand. Cloud opened the door as quickly as he could.

Vincent stepped inside the door and Cloud shut and locked it again. There was a moment where the dark haired man deposited his belongings on the floor and the light was turned off. Then Cloud found himself caught up in a fierce embrace, followed by a kiss so hard it made him gasp for breath. "Vincent!," Cloud managed when the two came up for air, "Where the **hell** have you **been**?!"

"Shhh, beloved." Vincent pressed hid fingers to Clouds lips. " I'd like you to hold me for a while, if that's o.k. I need to remember what it feels like to be real." Vincent moved the two of them backwards toward the bed. Cloud sat down and arranged the pillows as Vincent removed his boots and cloak. Something serious was about to happen, he was certain.

Vincent had been missing for just over three months. When he left Cloud just before the battle with Omega, he had sworn he would come back. He had. But less than a week later, he vanished. Yuffie had telephoned in a panic when he failed to show up at her place to visit Shelke. The text message he left behind for Cloud was all too short- "Spiky- I must go. There are some things better left unsaid for now. I'll be back soon. I know I'm not there to ask- Just promise me in your mind and heart that you will listen. Valentine".

Vincent removed his outer armor, removed his scarf. His long ebony hair fell past his shoulders in uneven strands. Cloud could see the red halos of his eyes flash as he moved next to him. As he brought his head to rest, the strands of hair against the skin caused Cloud to absently stroke it. They lay together like this for some time. The only sound in the room, apart from their breathing, came from a pounding heart.

Vincent broke the silence by kissing Cloud a second time. This kiss was softer, and longer. When they broke apart the second time both could feel a certain heaviness that increased a little when Vincent broke the silence.

"Spiky, do remember the night when you came to me because of all that you carried, and were alone?" "Of course, I remember. I'll always be grateful for your keeping confidence." " I need you to do the same for me now. Remember what I wrote? There are some things you need to know. Things it may hurt you to hear." " I know, Val." Of all people, Cloud was one of the very few who could use this name without getting hurt.

"I've been to the crystal cavern. I had to see her. Lucrecia. But not just there. I've been to many places. To put it simply, I had to find some evidence for myself. Did I ever tell you about my father, Grimoire Valentine?"

"No Val, I don't think you have." "Then I'll start at the very beginning. My father, Grimoire Valentine, was one of the scientists who worked on the top secret Soldier projects. My father discovered what he believed to be a stone tablet carved by the Cetra. This was some time before the stratum that contained Jenova was discovered. The tablet contained a verse that is eerily reminiscent of Loveless:

Soul wrought of terra corrupt

Quelling impurity

Purging the life stream

To beckon forth an ultimate fate

Behold Mighty Chaos

Omega's squire to the lofty heavens.

My father believed the tablet to be over 2,000 years old. He originally postulated that Omega was a location and Chaos a specific person. He later changed this after discovering that the planet had elaborate defense mechanisms in place to prolong both life and security. After months of waiting, he was finally assigned a research assistant.

Her name was Lucrecia Crescent, and she was in the top five percentile of her class. She proved to be as ardent about the project as he. Her theories had been laughed at by the executive brass, and she was eager to prove herself, and them, as valid.

What I, and everyone else **didn't** know until just a while ago, was that my father and Lucrecia were having an affair. It's not clear exactly **when** they began falling in love, but they did. And that sick bastard Hojo, he... had his eyes on her. Practically from the time she arrived at the academy too, I'd bet my life on it. It was he who finally approved the departmental paperwork. He who undermined my father while secretly grooming her to be both his assistant and hidden mistress. That sick bastard found a way.

There was an accident at the cave where the tablet was discovered. Part of the ceiling gave way because of instability, it was said. My father was killed instantly, Lucrecia was only just injured. I re-examined the area and took some samples to Reeve for testing. There were traces of highly classified Shinra silent explosives both in the dirt and on the stalactite fragments. Underneath a pile of chips, I found a few strands of hair. They tested positive for that of Hojo. This evidence points to unknown fact number one- that Hojo murdered my father.

It did not have the effect that he desired. Lucrecia truly loved my father and his work. I was assigned to protect her after his death. I don't think Lucrecia knew of my existence. But Hojo most certainly did. I think that both future experiments and torments were on his mind. I now believe that he wanted us to fall in love, simply to give him the pleasure of destroying it. And myself in particular, because I was the son of the rival who stole his intended.

"**You**...worked for Shinra?!" Cloud said in disbelief. "At that time, yes. When I showed a flair for marksmanship as a boy, my father figured my talent would benefit from a Shinra education. But that isn't important at the moment. What does matter is that I met this beautiful, intelligent, warm woman- who was as out of place within her own skin-the same way that I am in mine, sometimes. I quickly came to realize that she tolerated working for Hojo because it allowed her access to materials and information to further her own research."

"Did you fall in love with her?" Cloud asked. " I think that I was in love the first time I saw her. Remember that I was hardly more than a boy then. And I knew nothing of Lucrecias relationship with my father. When Hojo and Lucrecia were sent to Nibelheim to begin the experiments that would produce...Sephiroth... and the other angels..." Vincent's voice trailed off.

"Val? Are you all right?" Cloud sat up and pulled Vincent closer. In the moonlight, a single tear stream fell from his left eye, and fell in droplets between them. He did not look at Cloud. When he resumed speaking, his voice shook. Cloud continued to hold him close.

"There was a tree, outside the village in the middle of the meadow. I used to go there and daydream by myself when I had the chance. Somehow Doctor Crescent discovered this and joined me there. It was innocent, at first. We were like children, playing at flirting with each other. For me,being young and sexually inexperienced, at the time it was like a fire. I wanted her, but not just for her body. I loved her for her mind.

A day came where we both could no longer deny what we felt. We made love, or at least **I **did. This was just after Lucrecia accepted what was to be her role in the Jenova project. She hadn't told me yet, I would find out in the coming days. When the few details I was allowed came out- Gaia- I could not believe..." Vincent choked, and his shoulders began to shake violently. Cloud pulled him into a tight hug and allowed the man to cry, his lips resting gently against his forehead.

"I went to the Shinra mansion. Reeve and the WRO have managed to retrieve massive amounts of Hojos data and other evidence. Among them were recordings and private journals that were little more than extended details of his sexual conquests. Hojo managed for me to be away at a specific training class for a week. He claimed that I was overstepping my boundaries as a turk.

When I returned, Lucrecia had changed. She was completely cold to me and behaved as if I were beneath her. As if my feelings didn't matter. Then she and Hojo informed me that her unborn child was the subject of the experiment. When I dared to try and question why she would she would do this, Hojo stated they were scientists and it was not my place to question anything. He threatened to have me fired.

What I **didn't** know, and Lucrecia never told me, was that while I was gone Hojo raped her. He threatened to expose her relationship with my father. He also accused her of using Grimoire to further her own research. But the worst...the hardest because I didn't stop...her... is..." Vincent shuddered and stopped again. The tears were coming hard now and Cloud gently rocked him, eyes closed, attempting to let his own fear slide away.

"You know about the angel projects, right Spiky?" "Yes, but I don't think Zack told me everything. I'm not sure that **he** knew everything. But right now I am more concerned about you. Whatever it is, I'm here. I swear that I won't run away." Cloud stroked the hair of his friend as it came to lay against his shoulder.

"Before she was raped, Lucrecia was already pregnant. She was the woman who was used in...project S." Vincent breathed deeply, eyes closed, and waited for Cloud to react. It hurt him terribly to say it, but the terrible truth was finally out. "Project S, you mean the...oh...my...gods..." Cloud was silent.

"Yes, it's true. My sin is far worse than yours. Sephiroth was wrong. Jenovah wasn't his mother, not in the physical birth sense. But that is common knowledge now. And she wasn't Gillian either, the one whose genes helped create Genesis or Angeal, as he thought. _Lucrecia was Sephiroth's real mother_. I'm so sorry, Cloud. I know you loved Sephiroth, but I'm not sure you should love or have ever loved me. Because from what it looks like, all the genetic manipulation and abuse he suffered from Hojo aside... Even if he never realized it..._I am Sephiroths real father_."

Vincent's voice broke then, and all he could do was cry. Cloud found himself shaking and crying too, but he could not find the right words to say. Things had changed, but the two of them were still the same. Cloud also knew that he didn't want to lose Vincent, least of all as a friend. The two of them had come through too much together. Had it not been for the verbal ass-kicking Vincent had given him after the battle at the forbidden grove...Cloud preferred not to think about it.

Somehow, some way, Cloud's lips found Vincent's. Vincent whimpered then, and returned the kiss fiercely. The two remained locked together, shaking, until their emotions began to subside.

"Do you hate me, Spiky? I warn you, the story isn't over yet." "No, Val. I don't hate you," Cloud said. " But before you continue, I do have something to say. I think that before you blame yourself any more, you should remember Lucrecia never told you she was pregnant. You discovered that posthumously. Remember that Hojos evil affected many people in different ways. All of us- you, me, Zack, Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal-even Aeris, suffered at the hands of that maniac. Forgive me, Val. What I don't understand is how what you said is possible given your age. Until just now I'd swear you were no older than 27."

Vincent wiped his eyes on his cloak. "I was just getting to that. Hojo took Sephiroth away from Lucrecia almost as soon as he was born. She was absolutely devastated by that. He refused to let her see him and when she became too hysterical he used what he knew as leverage to keep her silence. When I finally confronted him with his own cruelty, Hojo accused me of trying to sabotage his projects and shot me in cold blood.

I came to in one of Hojos tubes. For a long time I was unable to do more than stare. Hojo had Lucrecia within his power and he used that with impunity. He would banish everyone but himself and Lucrecia from the laboratory and the grounds at least once a week. Lucrecia would spend all night helping him enact his deepest and most depraved sexual fantasies with me as the silent voyeur.

After a few weeks he tired of this, and the experiments and surgical changes on me began. I thought that she was using me as a puppet to prove her research. And slowly part of me began to hate her. After a while she would stand and cry in front of the tube and say how sorry she was every so often. By that time I just ignored her. My plan, which formulated as I slowly regained my senses, was to get the hell out of there as soon as the opportunity presented itself. And then, once she had completely re-worked and restored me as Chaos with the protomateria she... arranged for an accident to free me from the lab, after she had killed herself.

Discovery of what I am, and my agony at having done nothing to stop these events was tearing apart my soul. With no one to guide me about my new form and my mind in tatters, I found myself in the Shinra mansion basement. In the room where you first found me years ago, was a coffin. I resolved to go to sleep and remain so forever, or as long as I could.

Again, I was wrong. Lucrecias experiments were the only way that she could save my life. It was that or let Hojo have me, and she wasn't about to let him. In my present state of being I could rip the man apart easily. Which is why he had to cheat me even in death.

It seems everywhere I have turned since escaping that day, I've found evidence of his work. Including you, Cloud.

In a way Hojo was right. You **are** a failure. Didn't wind up a twisted monstrous product the way you were supposed to be. Fought to cling to the barest shreds of your humanity and managed to survive. If you look at the situation directly, whether he knew it or not, the man was creating the flies in his own ointment."

"And you're not a monster!" Cloud replied. " If you hadn't verbally kicked my ass that day at the forbidden city, it might have been different. It was hard, learning to let go. But Aeris is still here with us. I think of her every time it rains! It took a long time for me to realize that forgiving **myself** for not being able to save her was what I was unable to do. And I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not at your calling me a failure!" Cloud risked a small laugh, sensing the worst was pretty much over.

"There is more, Spiky, but I'd like to let it wait for some other time. My coming here in this manner was intentional. You remember what I said the after the last time we... that night out under the stars? I'd like a rematch very much, if you're up for it." Vincent seemed **almost** timid, as if he were expecting the possibility of rejection.

"I can't say finding out about Sephiroth makes me happy, Val. But when it came down to the end, Seph did make a choice. And I loved him as much as I love you, or loved Zack, or anyone else. I can't hate you if you are his real father, because that means he's part of you and the woman you loved. Sephiroth died believing he'd been abandoned, I think. And the madness brought by the Jenova cells within his system demanded that he submit to her. Before either of us jump to any more conclusions I suggest that we ask Reeve and the WRO to help prove conclusively whether it **is** true or not."

"You didn't answer my question." Vincent moved away a little. Cloud thought for a moment. "Yes, Val. Personally, I'd like to..." he leaned forward and whispered in the offered ear. Vincent raised **both** eyebrows and grinned wickedly. "I'm already packed, what about you?" Cloud reached over to the night stand for his cell phone. "Give me 10 minutes so I can bullshit Tifa and close the delivery service, and I'll meet you downstairs. Don't worry, Fenrir is nearby. I'll grab my gear and it's into the great wide open for a while." He gave Vincent a sweet but firm kiss. "See you downstairs!"

vcvcvcvcvcvcvcvcvcvcvc

Note: This wasn't the chapter I had planned to post exactly, but certain parties insisted that it be made so for "purposes of timely continuity" or some such.

I'm thinking about doing a separate Cloud/Vincent story. Hot? Not? What does the readership think?

Vincent: Gaia help us if the readership gets confused! Besides, there is a nookie quotient clause somewhere, isn't there?

Angeal: As long as you don't touch puppy. Carry on.

Zack: Hey!

Cloud: What if Zack decides to touch **me? **(Pokes Zack playfully)

Zack: I guess that makes you a necrophiliac and me a...

(Angeal glares at Zack)

Angeal: Puppies shouldn't play with dead things.

Zack: But Cloud isn't...

Angeal: He will be when I get hold of him, mister. Just keep it up.

Zack: Dude, I'm always up. It's just a question of whether or not you can handle it!

( Bolts across room and out the door with Angeal in pursuit)

Angeal: (outside) You better run, pup, because when I catch you you're getting a lesson in proper respect!

Vincent (shaking head in amusement) : What was **that** all about?

Cloud (shutting and locking door): Get over here, Val. I think you could use some enlightenment about the term "nookie clause".

Vincent: (growls happily)

vaczzcavvczazacvvzcaazcvczav

SSS


	5. Chapter 5

**Author note:**_ And here it gets really odd as I attempt to introduce characters of my own._

_Fear not, our heroes are included in this chapter. After this we'll see quite a few more familiar faces._

**Chapter 5: Exploration and Observation**

Braxx Feilan brushed the wispy strands of his long black hair from his eyes and attempted to slow down his mount for the second time within half an hour. Bronco was a red chocobo and not prone to being skittish. But now he was acting oddly.

Braxx and his companion, Jutah Larias, had been on the road for the better part of a week. He was the elder of the two men, and at twenty-five, had already mastered sword techniques. His long black hair was brushed back under a ranger's hat, and he preferred soft leather that was re-enforced in strategic places. Deep blue eyes were set in a ruggedly handsome face that was tanned from long term exposure to the summer sun.

Muscular and strong, there was little the two-handed swordsman feared.

Jutah was small and more slight of build. His reddish-brown hair barely reached his shoulders. At twenty-three, he was an apprenticed to Master Ginn, A powerful sage summoner. Jutah gazed on the world from a pair of eyes as green as deep moss. He often appeared far away in thought when he was tuned in to the magickal forces that he said surrounded them on the planet. Braxx found this annoying sometimes, but he didn't let that sway him. Today Jutah was wearing a simple white shift robe for traveling, and a cloak. His Chocobo, Melba, was a strong yellow chocobo with attitude.

Behind Melba, on a tether, was Dobro. Dobro was younger than the other Chocobos, but strong and agile. He was serving this trip as pack bird, and the laden saddlebags attested to the amount of supplies needed to see the old summoner through the next winter. The group had traveled to Level, a new city built in the wake of Midgar. Part of Ginns income was derived from the production and sales of potions, cures, and the odd novelty. Some also became part time antiquarians in their quests for knowledge. More than a few owned large collections of occult works. The largest collection was presently housed in Level.

"Damn it, boy, will you settle down?" Braxx reigned in his bird yet again. Bronco let out a snort and pawed the ground. Jutah rode up until Melba was standing next to Bronco, then raised his long distance field glasses from where they hung against his chest. "What's eating him?" Jutah asked. "I dunno. He's as skittish as a cornered fiend all of a sudden."

A sudden, violent rumble caught the ears of both men. Jutah raised the field glasses and looked to the west. Dense black clouds were rolling outwards from the north, at a rate much too quick for ordinary weather. " What the..." Jutah murmured. He let the field glasses drop, closed his eyes and focused. Braxx had learned long ago not to disturb his lover during magick casting, whatever the spell or trick. In a few moments his eyes snapped open.

"That's no ordinary storm," Jutah said. "Someone or something is causing it. Whatever the cause it might be a good idea if we were to get away from open..." The rest of his sentence was lost in an enormous roar of wind and thunder that seemed to shake the ground.

Bronco heaved himself forward and was off at a dead run. Head down, eyes fierce, the bird raced straight for the nearest trees with Melba in hot pursuit. Poor Dobro waddled as fast as he could after them, making huffy "Warks!" of mixed terror and annoyance.

"Whoa! Damn it!" Braxx exclaimed as the bird turned into what appeared to be a forgotten road choked with weeds. Off to his right Braxx could hear Jutah admonishing Melba as she leapt over small rocks and overgrown brush that at one time might have been trimmed but was now overgrown. The rain hit them both like an icy wall, just as the lightning illuminated the outlines of what were clearly buildings.

The birds made straight for a building that looked like it might be a stable. It turned out to be in disrepair and one end of it had a large hole in the wall, and it was this hole that the birds nearly dived into. "Hey! Bronco! What the... turn around, damn it, you dumb bag of feathers! I'm still up here!" Braxx had just missed hitting his head on an overhead beam.

Jutah managed to duck his head as Melba shoved her way in next to Bronco, followed by Dobro. At that point all three birds , as one, **sat down**. "Great, just great." Braxx shook his head sadly. "Well, Jutah, it looks like we're staying here for the moment."

"Do you have any idea where **here** is?" Jutah said as he dismounted. "Well, judging from ol' Feather Duster here, I'd guess he just about broke 2 or three miles in less than five minutes, and...OW!" There was a soft sound of birdly annoyance as Braxx rubbed his posterior.

"That still doesn't explain where we are, or what this place is." Jutah crossed to the opening in the wall. He stood for a moment, looking out through the rain. "There's only a couple hours of light left, and it looks like the 'bos are in a sitting mood. There's a house just across the way. It doesn't look occupied. Maybe we can stay there until the storm breaks."

"You said something just before the birds ran. I didn't hear what you said." "I said that someone or something caused it. It's not an ordinary storm. There's magic behind it. A manipulation." "Are you sure?" "Braxxas? Helloooo...**how** many years have I been studying magick? Of course I'm sure! The only question is if Master Ginn felt it." "What does **he** have to do with it?"

Jutah sighed. "Never mind. Trying to explain magic to you some days is like trying to explain a the existence of a rock to a tree." "**What?!"** "Forget it," Jutah chuckled.

You know, Braxx, we **could** get lucky, there **might actually ** be a real bed...in there..." He smiled in the warriors direction. "Ok, ok, but we're not going in unequipped or without supplies. It's really coming down and I'll be damned if I'm making trips back and forth."

After making sure the birds were secure and the roof unlikely to cave in, the two men busied themselves with organizing their packs and a saddlebag of foodstuffs and kit to take indoors. Jutah grabbed his cloth satchel that contained his writing implements and traveling spell books. No summoner or magician like to be unprepared.

Braxxas slung his sword across his back and carried his small mace. Jutah removed his staff from where it hung against Melbas saddle, and the two ran across the stone flecked courtyard towards the house. They entered a gated area and proceeded to what turned out to be the back kitchen door of the house. Braxx only had to pound a little to get it open. The two stood just inside the door, dripping for a minute.

The place was thick with dust. The building had been in use at some point, but now it was clearly uninhabited. The kitchen was distinctly modern, with a large flagged stone fireplace at one end. One could prepare a meal here for 10 or 200. Oddly enough, there were signs that people had been here once, but had either departed or vanished.

Jutah, ever obsessed with details, paused to examine the porcelain dishes housed in a highboy cabinet. " For the love of...what do you need to do **that** for?" Such things were lost on Braxx. "I just want to indulge my curiosity about something." Jutah removed a plate from the cabinet and held it gently, turning it in the dim light. He nodded. "As I suspected. These plates were made by craftsman that used to live in the Gongaga region." "You can tell just by **looking**?" Jutah sighed again.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop." Braxxas had been trying to understand his lover's obsession with detail since they were boys. It was a puzzle to him, the same way his fondness for weapons, machines, and a good fight were to Jutah. How they managed to remain together at times was an even bigger puzzle, but they loved each other like mad. Braxx remembered Jutahs remark about a bed and secretly found an inner need to explore the house further. He had to admit it had been a while.

Jutah found some candles and matches in a drawer, and some candlesticks in a cupboard full of dishes far less interesting. Leaving their packs and the food in the kitchen for the moment, the two grabbed the candles and moved through a pair of double doors into the main body of the house.

The interior, also dusty, was also well furnished. Both men recognized the style as that which was essential to homes prior to the fall of Shinra. Braxx had never paid attention to the details much in history class. But there was something about it that was suggestive. It was clear that men had lived here, and lived well. A sun room looked out into an overgrown garden. Illuminated by the lightning, in the center of the garden was a long untended, now dead, Banoran apple tree. A fountain on the right, further away, was crusted with lichens and moss.

There was a rattling sound as hailstones struck the roof and marble rails outside. "I wonder..., " Jutah mused. " I've head rumors that the old Shinra executives used to have love nests or hideaways like this. I've never heard of anything like this place around here, have you?" "Could be," Braxxas grinned. " I wonder if we'll find anything interesting, like a dungeon." He leered playfully at Jutah.

"I'm more interested in finding a real place for us both to sleep at the moment. The stairs over there look sturdy enough, maybe there's something upstairs." " We could stay down here, by the fireplace." Brax suggested. Jutah pouted. "Where's your sense of adventure today?" " All right, have it your way. But afterwards I want to build a fire. Night will be here soon and I'm sure that we'll be famished."

The stairs proved to still be strong. The inlaid wooden bannisters were quite beautiful. When they reached the hallway upstairs they were greeted by a large chandelier. It was clearly outfitted for use with materia orbs. The carpet underneath their feet that lined the wood floor was soft and white. Jutah insisted that they take off their shoes, which produced a grunt of annoyance. "Not until we're sure it's safe, Jute." Followed by a sigh.

The hallway had a large bedroom on the right, and light mixed with lightning could be seen through the tall paned windows. There were three more rooms down the hall, and what appeared to be another bedroom on the far end. A gleam of metal caught the warriors eye. "Looks like someone left their toad sticker lying around," Braxxas said. "Be careful." He drew his small mace from his belt.

"I can't see anyone in the other room, " Jutah said "I'll check it out." "Ok, but if anything happens, yell, ok?" Braxxas moved down the hall, and Jutah entered the next room. The bedroom was enormous. The bed was a beautiful four- poster made of some kind of exotic black wood. The bedclothes were made of deep purple silk, as were the pillows. The spread was made of some heavy, soft material as rich as velvet. In the center, an elaborate embroidered design of apples, leaves and gilt. Jutah was surprised. What kind of person kept plastic dust covers on a **bed**? As Jutah removed them he thought a silent apology to whomever once owned the house.

A heavy lacquered dresser and armoire stood across from the bed against a wall. Further along next to a latticed window stood a large mahogany desk and a bookshelf piled with books and papers. Jutah moved to the bookshelf first. It was filled with field manuals and reference books related to military subjects. About half were clearly Shinra reference materials. The other half were binders without labels. Jutah examined one and was surprised it contained information regarding the infamous general Sephiroth.

Jutah had read about him at the academy, but this work seemed to be in much more depth. And it was, Jutah realized after a few pages,_ annotated in the general's own hand._

Jutah set the book down on the desk and looked at the papers. They were scattered as if someone had been interrupted and hadn't come back. He tried the drawers gently, after looking over his shoulder first. He could almost **sense** something. A presence.

He focused, drew in his breath, and muttered the words for simple detection. The house seemed to sigh all at once. Jutah felt a surge of different emotions and sensations. Love, sorrow, passion, lust, misery, dominance, submission, and from a distance, away from the house- anger. But another predominant feeling, almost sentient, made Jutah reach for a drawer that he found to be locked. The lock proved primitive and easy to open, which surprised him.

Inside the drawer were four black bound books. Jutah removed them and set them on the desk as well. The situation was getting curiouser by the minute. He opened the first volume. Zack's Book! the title announced, followed by Private! Stay Out!, and, in another scrawled line obviously added later- That means you too, Spiky!

It was at that moment that Braxx returned from his investigation of the rooms down the hallway. "Someone who lived here has a real fascination with swords. And whomever it was, they knew their antiquities. I found a secret cache inside a wall, but I closed it again. Something isn't right, Jute. A cache like that should be trapped to hell and back.

And one of the room has stuffed toys on the bed, but the closet is full of armor. And an extensive collection of back issues of "Military Heat.". There was also a...um...err..interesting stash _**of things **_hidden in another spot. Whatever was going on here wasn't exactly standard protocol, if you get my drift."

Jutah said nothing, and handed Braxx the Sephiroth binder. He had an odd look on his face. Braxx noticed this and skimmed the first few pages. "What in the name of the gods...?!" he said, surprised. " What have we stumbled into? This sort of information should be part of the WRO archives by now!"

"Looks like we have some light reading for later. It doesn't look like the storm is going to let up. And there's something else that we should check, too. I felt a strong presence somewhere outside. I don't think we're in any danger, but I'd rather wait, just in case. The storm could be something it draws from. If so, daylight is a better option. And I want to know more about this Zack Fair person and how his diaries wound up in a room with binders full of notes written by Sephiroth. I never knew the general actually **lived** with anyone."

Braxx drew behind Jutah and pressed up against him, sliding his hands up along the summoners chest. "Mmmm. You think the general had something kinky going on out here?" He smiled into his lovers neck, nipping him gently with his teeth. Jutah felt his nipples harden. "Mmm, seme, it has been a while." "You didn't answer my question. There's a penalty for that."

The two found their way to the bed easily enough. Jutah removed his cloak and stripped of his robes easily. His pale skin, reflected in the moonlight, was something the warrior could never resist watching. As the summoner's hands worked at his armor, he felt himself becoming tight. Soon the tanned skin emerged from its binding and the two wrestled against the mattress and took pleasure in each other. They fell asleep in each others arms, listening to the rain and the rumbling storm.

There came a scraping, tapping sort of sound, from the latticed window. Jutah thought it was a tree outside at first, but then it grew more insistent, as if someone were trying to break into the house. He sat up, and nudged Braxx. "Huh? Whuzza.." Braxx rolled over and opened one eye. "Wake up, love. Someone or something is trying to get in the window." "Jute, we're two stories up. " Braxx crawled forward to the foot of the bed and peered through the bed curtains. As the lightning flashed, he too could make out the distinct outline of a man.

"What the?! ," Braxx whispered " Jute, remember I told you that spirits were strictly **your ** department." "Shhh, beloved. Let's see who or what the spirit is and does. Once I have a better idea of what all this is about, back to the planet it goes." " The damn thing better not have spooked the 'bos. Ol ' Feather Duster can kick a roof down in a pinch. If I have to go out in that and find Dobro later I'm kicking some serious ass, ghost or not!" "Shh! the noise is getting louder!"

The two looked towards the window and a thin young man had appeared in the light, just outside the window. He appeared to be about twenty-five years of age. He had lovely deep blue eyes and coal black hair . He was dressed all in black save for a purple shirt. His skin was pale, ghastly white. Jutah knew instantly that he was gazing upon the departed spirit of Zack Fair. His eyes were wild, and they gazed right through them both, as if neither of them were there. He was absolutely drenched by the rain and his black hair was plastered against his pale face. He seemed to be searching for something, or more importantly, someone. Suddenly, he spoke. His voice was hoarse, and the rain mixed with the tears falling from his eyes.

"Angeal? Please let me in, seme. It's me, your puppy. Zack. **Please**, Angeal." his voice was so mournful, so sad. "It's me, Zack. I was lost, but I'm home now. I love you, and I'm so sorry. I swear I'll never be with anyone but you ever again. **For eternity."**

Jutah stood and moved slowly to the center of the room. He spoke quietly then, trying to reason with the lost spirit. "There's no one here but us", he said. "You need to return to the light. To the life stream. Tell me what I need to do to help you find the other side." This statement prompted Zack to look at the two men with a look of supreme horror.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? No one knows about this place but Sephiroth, Angeal, Spikey and me! When Angeal sees you in our bed, I swear he'll hurt you! If you leave now and I can find him I swear you won't get hurt."

"Zack...it's been almost twenty years. I'm a summoner and I can help you if you can just tell me-" Zack interrupted this thought with a wail that sent a chill through the room. "Twenty years?! Gaia, it's been over twenty years? Oh Gods! Angeal! You said you'd come for me from the life stream yourself when it was time! Why, Gaia?! Why?! Not Alone! Not for eternity! Angeeaal..."

Zack let out a mournful, screaming wail loud enough to break a thousand hearts. Jutah was thrown violently backwards and struck his head against one of the bedposts. Braxx went to him at once and pulled him back up onto the bed. He was about to draw his sword when the sound of pounding feet at a run came from the hallway.

When the two looked towards the window again, the spirit had vanished. Then a strange pounding began at the door. It flew open with a bang, and a man entered. He too was dressed in black, and carried an immense sword slung across the back of his shoulder blades. Jutah was certain the man was Angeal, whomever that was. Angeal also ignored them both, just as Zack had. Jutah motioned for Braxx to remain quiet as he wiped away the blood that trickled from his right temple.

The noise from outside seemed to be all the stalwart man could hear. Angeal ran to the window and threw himself against the ledge with all his might. He slammed the window open with such force that two panes cracked. His face, shining in the flashes of lightning, was awash with streaming tears.

"Puppy? Come to me!," he sobbed. "Oh Zackary please come. My angel, my missing prayer. **Once more**. Oh Zack, I love you. Please hear me now. I'm sorry I couldn't be there when it was time. There is so much I need to tell you! I promise I'll never leave you alone again! Forever, puppy. Just the two of us. The way I promised **you. **As it was **meant** to be." Angeal then collapsed against the window frame, sobbing. The garden beneath was empty. Angeal staggered backwards and fell on the bed, and his anguished sobs mixed with the wailing of the wind, which had resumed. There was a blinding flash of lightning as the wind and rain slammed the open window shutters against the wall. The room was now empty. Both spirits had vanished without a trace.

"What the hell was that all about?! " Braxx demanded. Jutah sat on the edge of the bed, apparently lost in momentary thought. Then he crossed to the window and shut it firmly. He walked to the desk. " We'll need some more candles up here, love. I'm afraid we won't be getting much sleep. Or at least I won't be." " Ok, Jute, this has gone far enough. You know my people don't speak to the dead. . But I've put that aside because you know I love you. If I'm gonna have to go through a ritual cleansing when we get back I need to know what I'm getting into. _Now._"

"There's some kind of curse at work here, Braxx. I suspect the answer may lie within these diaries. Or at least some clues. We definitely must investigate the source of the angry presence when it is light, but not before I know more. I must determine the connection between Zack and this man called Angeal. Someone has determined to keep them apart from each other. To do so after death implies both intense hatred and the force of strong will. The storm outside may have been intended to bring us here. We must proceed carefully."

"Well, if we're going to stay up, I may as well make us something to eat while I'm downstairs. If anything else crazy starts just yell and I'll be upstairs on the run. Just be sure to give yourself room to duck." Braxx headed for the door as Jutah began to read Zacks diary. Written in a clear hand, it eventually explained who was likely responsible for what the two men had just witnessed.

His name, apparently, was Genesis. Years ago, he grew up with Angeal and another boy called Sephiroth. They were all products of experiments conducted by the Shinra Corporation. Terrible things were done to those children in the name of science. Despite this all three rose to become solid military figures and all three were being groomed to not only be part of an elite fighting force, but leaders of that force. Commander Angeal Hewley had loved his comrades as brothers, and at times **more** than brothers. The trouble began, it seems, when a lovely young boy entered the academy as a cadet. His name was Zackary Fair. All three men noticed him at once. Not just for his enthusiastic, husky beauty, but for his capabilities both in and outside class as well.

But it was Angeal Hewley that was chosen as the mentor for the boy. And the two bonded, and, over time, became lovers. While Sephiroth suffered in neglected silence, Genesis smoldered with jealousy. He was determined to take Zack away. Far away enough that no one would even look at Zack again. Especially Angeal, for a slight he did to Genesis many years ago. Just what that was the boy failed to say.

Genesis made it possible for himself and Lazard to rape Zack. Zack wasn't their first victim and would not be the last. He even recorded the event with the intention of blackmailing both Angeal **and** Zack. But due the discovery on Sephiroths part, that was not to be. Zack and Angeal were sent away for many months, and Genesis and Lazard were found out. Lazard shot himself and Genesis was killed. Or so, apparently they thought. Before they were discovered, Genesis and Lazard raped another boy, a cadet named Cloud Strife.

Oddly enough, Zack and Cloud became friends, and eventually lovers of a sort. Cloud had been in absolute awe of Sephiroth, and being saved from his suicide attempt had caused some psychological trauma. Careful planning led to the dispatch of Genesis. Jutah discovered that many of the pages of the book after these entries had been ripped out. There was no mention of any recreational activities in the general's notes.

It was, clear, however, that the general at one time had a human side. Those traits, long repressed since childhood, were resulting in profound dislike for the infamous Doctor Hojo. The general was clearly becoming torn between love and duty, passion and reason.

It was at that point that Braxxas called to Jutah that their early breakfast of sorts was ready, thus postponing further reading.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Black Ritual**

The two men ate their breakfast in silence. Braxx was a little worried that Jutah wasn't saying anything. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer and forced himself to ask a question. "So what did you find out?" " Plenty," Jutah replied. It would seem that the three biggest soldiers of Shinra were having relationships not only with each other, but with certain cadets. Zack Fair is one. You're not going to believe who the other one is."

"Who?" "Cloud Strife." Braxx dropped his fork, and almost choked. "What the...you mean...are you sure? **The** Cloud Strife?!". The warrior looked at Jutah like he was pulling a fast one. "Yeah. I'd like to know more but the pages are ripped out. Before we do anything else I want to go through the rest of the stuff upstairs. I'd like to take back as much of the material facts as I can for Master Ginn to look at. After today we may very well need his expertise in the matter."

"How so?" Braxx, while wary, was also curious. " Here goes, " Jutah replied. "Just remember that my ideas are only tentative until we get finished with the anger source. Bear with me, beloved. I'm going to try and explain it as simply as I can, because I know you don't use magic."

"Sometimes, if a person has magical talent, a strong enough will or is powerful enough as a warrior, their emotions can be left behind sometimes. Usually after death. Sometimes strong traces can be found on favorite objects or in certain places, like this building. But it takes an exceptional persona to do what has been done here.

This doesn't just involve emotion, it involves both powerful magicks and direct action It is my theory that the least famous (or infamous, if you will) angel of the trio is probably _still alive._" Braxx winced. "You're sure it isn't Sephiroth?" "Absolutely, if what I have read so far is true. I am almost certain that Genesis has a strong hand in this. What disturbs me is what we both learned in school about it. Genesis died when he was supposedly a young man. His presence has not been felt or seen since before Shinra fell."

"How does that equate with what is going on here?" "There are different types of curses," Jutah began. "Some are merely designed to aggravate or disease the target. We've both seen those, Braxx. Like status effects in battle. They tend to be simple, and only advanced magicians can cause ones that really stick. There are cures for most of them, or if they are bad, they eventually can be healed with proper attention and treatment by a sage summoner or priests in a temple.

In this case, however, we have a powerful binding spell. A spell strong enough to bind not just one, but _two_ spirits to a specific place. A spell that not only binds them there, but keeps the two souls apart. More importantly, the spirits involved have now been apart for **over 20 years.** The storm that was generated last night is also a part and parcel of this magic, and a vital clue. If this really is Genesis we are dealing with, he has become not only very powerful, but hateful.

In order to bind someone against their will, the practitioner of the black arts needs a few things. The first is an evil predisposition, which goes almost without saying. The second is access to occult writings and dark magical workings. The third is objects or materials belonging to the person(s) the mage wishes to curse or destroy. But even these things can limit the power and range, not to mention the duration of the curse.

Master Ginn said to me that if I ever encountered something interesting like this, that he should be informed. There are some magical beings that should never be fought alone, or even in pairs." "You don't think that Genesis is lurking around out there, do you?" " No," the summoner replied. "But there is one other thing. And it bothers me more than just the curse."

"What is it, Jute?" " In order to achieve the kind of power needed to activate this sort of magic, the dark magician, frankly, needs backup. Genesis was a powerful **warrior **at one time. But to build something like this and make it work this long, he'd need an ally. That's what I hope to uncover out there. Just what the nature of this spellbinding is before proceeding. Besides, we have supplies that need to be getting back."

"You have a good point," Braxx replied. "I'd better get out there and feed the birds before they get so annoyed they become impossible. Load as many of the documents as you need in the saddlebags. We're only a day from home so food isn't a worry. There's room in my day pack too."

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The birds, it turned out, were hungry, and had wandered a little way from the ruins of the stable. After a quick check to make sure nothing was missing, Braxx chucked them a few greens and managed to pump them a trough full of water from the rusty equipment that stood in the yard. After the birds were finished eating, Braxx removed their saddles and pegged them so they could enjoy the morning sun and grass but not run off.

Once he and Jutah had managed to repack the saddlebags and get their gear into the yard, the sun had risen and it looked to be a fine day. Before they began their exploration, he blessed their weapons . "Just in case," he explained, "there isn't time later.". The summoner then made some appropriations from the supplies- holy water, restoratives, and a good quantity of phoenix downs. He divided it up equally between the two of them.

When these preparations were in order, It was a simple matter of casting a detection spell. Jutah wandered away from the house and ruined outbuildings to what looked to be the remains of an abandoned cemetery. He stopped short when a stone stairway that lead into the earth came into view. "There," he said, " If there's anything to be found, it'll be down there."

The stairs turned out to lead to what appeared to be a small burial vault. Beyond a rusted metal grating, darkness lay. The wooden door behind it was in pieces of jagged, splintered wood. Someone or something had broken it trying to get **in**. The grating had been replaced as an afterthought.

Braxx gave out a grunt as he and the summoner heaved the metal door away from the crumbling edifice. They gasped because it was heavier than they expected. Once open, the smell of dust and years of rot crept into the nostrils of both men. Being the brawn of the team, the staunch warrior entered the crypt first and coughed loudly.

The tomb seemed to stretch back and downwards into the earth. The interments had clearly been disturbed. Both moved slowly towards the back, looking for an opening. Pieces of human bone littered the floor. At the end of the crypt was a large, deep hole with what looked to be a ladder descending into complete blackness.

Braxx kicked a fragment into the hole and listened to it fall. Within a minute there was a faint **plink** as it struck something solid. "Ok, sounds like about a quarter mile down, maybe half. Depends on if that struck ground, or something on the way down." Braxx started down the ladder slowly. He didn't like this situation one bit.

The ladder seemed to be in good shape and soon the two were standing in what appeared to be a low chamber. Below the ladder the floor was earth, but it gave way to paved and then smooth, stone. Jutah moved forward until he and Braxx were standing side by side. He murmured a few words, and a soft light shone around them.

The two were standing in a low stone tunnel. The air around them was both stale and damp. Further back along the corridor cobwebs could be seen, and a faint smell of mildew permeated the air nearby. The fragment of bone lay on the ground a few inches in front of them. It seemed, eerily enough, to point down the corridor.

Together they moved slowly forward. The corridor opened into a large square room. In the center lay a long rectangular stone table. Braxx felt Jutah's hand on his shoulder. "Don't move." Jutah began to murmur once again, closed his eyes and raised his arms slightly. After a minute he opened his eyes. He looked down at the floor. The two had stopped just outside of what was clearly a marked circle. "Keep your eyes open," he said to Braxx. I'm going to go have a look at the table."

The table was, as Jutah knew already, an altar. He could see the objects laid there before he drew close. The remains of martial incense and some other foul substances long stale revolted him, but did not nauseate. An open book with torn, burnt pages lay in the middle. Around the book, covered in dust, were strands of hair. A torn piece of black cloth, stained and unravelled, partially charred, remained.

Jutah moved closer and could see writing on the wall. From the look of it, he was almost certain it was blood. But it was what lay written there that disturbed him.

The black goddess will choose her knight

Bring chaos to the light of the world

And for his devotion unto living death

Will grant him his desire

The angels unchosen

Will fall to the design of her sway

Be obliterated and at his whim

They shall suffer eternal separation

For eternity after death

All who would oppose her beauty

Dare to profane her wisdom

And who enter the crypts unbidden

Are thrice cursed by fate

As the whelp, the angel, and the burning soldier.

With this I transcend my former life

And claim my vengeance forever true

May those who took from me in life

Suffer deprivation of those loved by them after death.

G

Jutah slowly drew his spell-book from his satchel, and his pen. He had just managed to finish writing the final lines on the page when a sound forced him to look up and turn around. From the distant corner of the room came a dragging , shuffling sound. The smell of decay around them had now begun to increase. Braxx drew his mace and grimaced.

The animated corpses, thankfully, were mostly skeletal. They were slow movers for being armed and covered in cobwebs and dank rot. Braxx was able to take them down easily. But he could sense something else, so the warrior moved forward until he could see another corridor in the far corner. As he did so he could distinctly hear motion, and the faint clank of what sounded like steel armor.

A wave of darkness suddenly overtook the room. Braxx moved backwards in the darkness even as he heard Jutah loudly begin a spell. He could sense Jutah doing the same, and then as he finished, the light returned enough so he could just see. The figures approaching were not living. Their faces were half-rotted, eye sockets empty but glowing with unnatural fire. Gliding over the floor, the clanking came from the pieces of armor that adorned them, more ornamental than functional.

When Jutah finished speaking they stopped for a moment, as if some kind of wall impeded them. Jutah had backed towards the altar in the dark (a foolish thing to do, he now realized). With a lipless shriek, one of the shadow beings gesticulated with its rotting fingers, and the two moved forward once again.

The battle that followed was a bit trickier than the first. These corpses were equipped with spells and they used them efficiently but with impunity. The managed to blind Jutah once and paralyze Braxx, after which both had to suffer from fire. A fast esuna and the throwing of a phoenix down managed to slow them down. A few minutes later after a melee involving holy water, a holy blast, and a few more downs and the two warriors were more than glad when the spirits vanished.

Jutah had noticed there was something under the book and hair before the fight began. He carefully lifted the remains of the burnt tome and hair. Underneath lay a small box, that was wrapped in parchment and covered in symbols. Jutah blessed himself quickly one more time and, even though he knew it was a bad idea, slid the box into his satchel without Braxx seeing him do it. "They'll be back, I think," Jutah said. "We've got some time before they return. I suggest we get out of here while we have time. Master Ginn will want know more about what should be done."

The two men wasted no time going back up the tunnel. It took a while to re-barricade the door. Once they got outside once again and into the sunshine, Braxx went straight to the birds and began to load them up. " That was unpleasant," Braxx said. " I suppose that from here I better get used to visiting the temple more often. What was that writing all about? I didn't get all of that before those crypt-kickers arrived." He grimaced.

"It's as I suspected. It's hard to believe that **the** third angel, Genesis, could manage this. It means that there is a very good chance that he is _still alive._ And which goddess are we dealing with here? I jotted down the symbols that followed, which I don't recognize. One thing is for certain- what we witnessed last night is destined to repeat itself. What I can't figure out is exactly what this curse is feeding. But Master Ginn can help with that."

Before leaving Jutah insisted on drawing up a crude map of the area. Bronco seemed to be irked by this and snorted as if eager to get on the trail. Unlike the senior bird, Melba and Dobro seemed indifferent and gave Jutah no trouble as the two men rode back through the brush and weeds towards the direction of the ridge. Home was only a day away.

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	7. Chapter 7

Authors note: And yet another chapter leaves my electronic pen. Usual disclaimer- don't own, don't profit, don't sue. I apologize, for this taking so long. Thank you, Kenshin....... It's OOC ... maybe someday Angeal will tell me his side. If I get lucky. On with the romance!

**Chapter 7 : Eyes Behind The Sword**

Note from Jutah Larias-

I began to read the journals that Braxx and I brought back from that house the evening after we got back. I began to get to know both Angeal and Zack, and all the other players in this drama from the all too real past. And I uncovered secrets about Zack Fair and his true love- many secrets. Too many to set down here, and many questions left to answer. But I want to tell this story, because it illustrates how deep their bond eventually became and because it is one of the many events that helped to build it. Is it the real truth, or just a dream? I have copied it here, just as I found it.

J.L. Anno 35

xxxxxxx

" I killed my mother with my own hands, Zack." He began to shiver then, I thought. He was silent for a minute, at which point it dawned on me that Angeal was **crying**. I don't think I ever saw him cry after that day, or before it. At least not in that way. "I'm not invincible, Zack. I'm not everything, even if I am your teacher. Moreover, I keep learning again and again that I can't save anyone, or everyone that I love from pain." His words still haunt me to this day.

No matter what happened, I knew that Angeal would always come back to me. At times he would be bold and waltz right in the door, quick to grab me in an embrace if the coast was clear. At other times he would come silently, with stealth, like the little boy I knew that part of him still was. The part that would never admit that, however, only let me see it in his eyes- sometimes.

I would wait forever- if he would let me. He always lectured me about duty, and honor. He insisted that I fulfill my Shinra duty first. There was an incident that happened soon after Gillian died. It's part of what brought us together. I want to write it all here because I know that I won't live forever. Because I love Angeal, and always will, forever. For you, Seme, always. And for the world.

xxxxx

It happened on one of our mutual routine missions to Wutai. Angeal and I were sent there as part of a temporary occupational force. The objective was to quell minor uprisings that had occurred between former Wutai troops and a hidden resistive faction that was proving difficult to eradicate.

When I heard Genesis and Angeal had been seen fighting, and that he had been fatally wounded, I didn't stop to think. In the middle of the night, I blindly ran out into the rain, to the road. I have no idea why, to this day I was compelled to do this. Angeal likes to joke that it proved my love for him even then. He likes to pretend that for him it isn't quite that way. I think he knows that his eyes tend to give him away. I was set on from behind, and smothered before I had a chance to even grab my sword. The last thing I remember before everything went black was the hiss of what sounded like voices- almost like the sound genesis copies make.

I awoke in a room that was part of a house somewhere. I was alive, and miraculously, I was unhurt. It was sometime in the morning, and I could feel a soft breeze coming in through a window which, while open, was barred. My head ached a little, but I had been made comfortable. So the objective wasn't to hurt me. At least not yet.

I had to give my captors credit. Whomever they were, they had taken care to remove both my sword and the materia I was carrying. I had also been stripped of my soldier uniform, and it had been replaced with an old style kimono. It was dark blue and bore no indicative markings and was quite comfortable. For a moment I considered the possibility that I was dreaming, or that this might be one of Angeal's strange ideas. While it was like him to play with my emotions, it **wasn't** like him to risk breaking protocol.

When I stepped outside the doorway, the man who had had me kidnapped was standing there. He was older than Angeal, and thinner. He had shoulder length brown hair , and a face that looked a little like his. But mostly he bore a passing resemblance to Gillian, Angeals' mother. He was unarmed, a thing that I found surprising. As I took note of my surroundings, my eyes caught sight of the ocean. It was plain we were nowhere near someplace like Costa Del Sol.

"If you're thinking about trying to swim, the nearest continent is two or three days in any direction." the man said. " Why are you doing this?!", I demanded. "Why did you bring me here? You know sooner or later Angeal will find this place." "That is my intention. Your lover murdered my sister, Gillian, with his own hands!" " I wouldn't underestimate my training if I were you." I replied. " I am perfectly aware of the methods that Shinra employs in its creation of monsters, which is why I took the precaution of removing your weapons. You are subject to mako injections, correct?" He had me there, I'll admit.

"We're not monsters," I retorted. " So what if exposure to mako makes a person faster, stronger, and more capable? It merely serves to enhance the chances of success." The man laughed.

"Your naivete is typical. Angeal thought the same thing for the first couple of years after he left home. But then Gillian never told him the entire truth about anything, and I'm sure that Shinra hasn't. And I wonder what Shinra would do if they knew about his...affection for you-and you for him, Zackary Fair."

How did he know about me and Angeal? The thought of that bothered me. But at least now I knew who he was. So this **was** Orion. Angeal had only mentioned this uncle to me once briefly during training. I knew virtually nothing about him, apart from the fact that he used to work for Shinra in an executive capacity.

"I don't know how much or little you mean to him, Zackary Fair, but we shall find out soon enough. As far as I can tell you're his most important student , so you may have some passing value to Shinra. As to anything else I shall have to wait, as my nephew was never that expressive, even as a boy. We'll see just how much of an angel he really is."

xxxxxx

Later, while I was locked in my room cell at night, my thoughts turned to Angeal and what his mother meant. "Gillian." I thought. "She is responsible for the traits that allowed Angeal his wing. Wings. Angels' wings. His mothers death is a scar that he will always carry. Could I die for him, the way she had? If I were to, would he remember **me** always?" I wished he were there for me to ask, instead of being imprisoned where I was. I knew such thoughts did no good for someone in my circumstances, but I still had them. I knew that he cared for me, but I didn't know how he might feel in return. I did know that for me, my life would be vacant with his absence, and that I needed him the way a growing plant needs sunshine, wind, and rain. But I had not dared hope to tell him out of fear that I might lose him one day.

That night I had a dream, that Angeal had brought me to visit his mothers grave site. I'm not sure why I found myself alone, but, after lighting the traditional banoran incense, I prayed. "Gillian, I am sorry for what happened. Please know that I love Angeal, and that you should leave him to me. I know that I could never replace you in his heart. He loved you very much, and I know that you loved him. I promise that I will love and support him as best as I can, no matter what may come." When I awoke, I was filled with sadness.

Orion was still argumentative later that morning. "What kind of angel would strangle his own mother, the person who gave him life?!". Orion demanded of me. " Is that what being a member of soldier really means?! How can you defend an organization that directs its own operatives to destroy their homes and families?! How blind can you or anyone else **be**?!!". I found myself slamming my arms against the metal bars of my cell in frustration. Why wouldn't he **listen** to me?

"Damn You!" I screamed at Orion. "Angeal loved his mother like no one else on this earth! Finding out the truth about himself almost killed him! He would have done anything for her! And he suffered too! Terribly! Do think for a minute that taking the life of his mother was something he expected, or **wanted** to do?!" I was almost in tears from the anger and the frustration of not being able to reach my captor. "Did you know that as she lay dying, she told Angeal that she forgave him?". There. A secret was out. Would anything change by my revealing this? Apparently Orion remained unfazed.

"We're going to the beach," Orion said, " my operatives have informed me that Angeal was in a town on an island north of here making inquiries. With luck, he should be here fairly soon. I intend to fight him, Zack Fair. If you attempt to stop me I will kill you in front of him. I can, and I **will**. If it will make him feel as I do, so much the better. You've seen what I can do in the practice yard, so I would wait it out if I were you."

He was right. I **had** seen him practice. And he was likely to be a strong opponent. He had a very different fighting style that, while appearing chaotic, distracted enough so that critical blows could be landed before an opponent had the chance to react. I watched him kill several nasty monsters his henchmen brought in and deliberately starved – ones I had troubles with in real life as opposed to the training rooms- with ease.

I was weak from lack of mako, or I might have tried to fight. A couple of times I did think about it, but something held me back. I had been forced to examine my feelings. I couldn't risk my own life without knowing how Angeal really felt, is what it amounts to. And as Orion and I waited on the beach that day, him on the sand and myself hidden behind an outcropping of rock-I couldn't help but hazard a guess as to if I was doing the right thing.

And suddenly, there he was. Barefoot in black, walking up the beach in nonchalance, as if unaffected by his surroundings or the weather. In that moment he was both the most beautiful and frightening thing to me. I wanted to run to him, to tell him to stop. In that moment I was almost ready to offer up my own life. **Almost**. But I remained glued to the spot, unable to speak. As always, Angeal carried the Buster Sword and moved with almost effortless grace, a thing that I have both come to love about him.

"It's been a long time, Orion." Angeals' eyes were dark, but gave nothing away. "So, the wandering monster has finally found his courage at last. Tell me, nephew- did you feel anything as you put your mother to the sword? I'm sure your father felt nothing." " My father is **dead**." Angeal growled. " I'm not speaking of the one who raised you. You know that. I'm speaking o f the man whom we both know provided the-" "Don't say his name! He's **not** my father!". "Then what **is** he then, apart from one of those who helped to create a monster?!" Orion shouted.

"His experiments led to the murder of my only beloved sister- at the hands of her own son! Is that what the meaning of soldier honor is? The right to murder?!" "You were there too, Orion. What did you, or anyone else do to try and stop her? You made your choices too, all those years ago, the same way that I made mine. I didn't come here to fight you, I came here to find Zack."

At that moment my legs found their strength, and I was able to stand up from behind the rocks.

"Be careful, Angeal, he told me he means to kill you." The moment he caught sight of me, and realized that I was o.k., something behind his eyes **flashed. **It's hard to describe what I saw there. It was almost as if he were seeing something past me on the horizon he didn't expect, and then he seemed to snap back to the present.

"Don't worry, pup. There is nothing to fear." Angeal said, as he turned towards Orion. Orion unsheathed his blade, one to rival Sephiroths' own masamune, and struck. I have never seen Angeal fight in the manner he did that day on the beach away from Costa Del Sol. He moved with a fluid, ancient grace that was superfluous. The two twisted and moved over the sand like butterflies as they parried, dodged, engaged again and again. But I could see that the hysteria that I had witnessed, the guilt, had left the eyes of Angeal. He was whole again; and in place of the guilt lay new strength.

"You are a monster! You are nothing but a paid Shinra thug, and you deserve to die like one!" Orion cried. " How many people will you murder in their name in order to hide their lies?! Murderer of your own mother! I will see to it that you are punished!"

A critical blow to the chest, and Angeal fell to the sand, gasping. "I no longer fear death, Orion. But to live or not is a choice I no longer possess. I live for today and for the answer that was given to my prayer, and the chance to one day avenge my mother. I am sorry, uncle, if my actions are responsible for the anger and hatred you feel. Whatever becomes of me will have little impact." And then Angeal did something both terrible and amazing. He **laid down the buster sword. **He knelt at the feet of his uncle.

"If offering you my life will end the violence that has destroyed our family and threatens the rest of the planet with destruction, then so be it." I could stand no more. I tore from the brush and threw myself against Angeals back, putting myself in the perfect position to take the blow. The blow did not come. I became aware that I was shaking and sobbing silently as I gripped Angeal so hard I thought my limbs would break. My only thought in that moment was "If he must die, then let Orion take me too. I'm yours, Angeal, one with you. Forever." A thought I dared not voice, but swore that I would if I might live.

The blow never came. And then Angeal was attempting to stand on his feet with me getting in the way. It took him a minute or two to snap out of his battle trance. When he did he seized me in a crushing embrace which nearly took away my breath. It's hard for me to describe exactly what I think flashed from behind his eyes just then. I was afraid, it's true. But pushing me beyond that was the impact of the scene that I had just witnessed. And **love**.

Orion had vanished, as silently as he had arrived when he first abducted me. When we entered the compound, it was as if all human life had vanished without a trace, leaving the two of us behind. It was eerie, as if time had stopped and the world no longer seemed eager to find us.

"Thank you, Zack." he murmured. " I was so close to killing him. You have no idea how my mother suffered."

When we entered the bath house Angeal staggered slightly, and sat down. It was then that I noticed he was bleeding. I was able to find clean gauze and simple medical supplies in a cabinet. When I returned Angeal stripped to the waist . He had managed to wet his shirt and had pressed it against the wound. "Let me." I said, even as his eyes protested. "Please."

That he allowed me to touch him- to wipe the blood and grit away, to stitch and dress the wound without interruption- honored me with his trust. He winced a couple of times during the stitching process, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. "Could you heat some water for me, pup? I'd like to wash my hair." He began to strip down so that he could bathe. Thankfully the coals in the stove were still glowing. Careless, leaving behind a fire like that.

Angeal slid into the water and just let his body float. I knew that his body had some faster ability to heal on the surface, but that fact did not apply to serious wounds. He chose not to use potions for the same reason he didn't always use healing materia- stunting of growth. As a result he had many small scars on his body. It was unlike my own, which hardly bore traces of all that I had seen so far. He lovingly calls me his alabaster cherub much to my embarrassment, as a result, when we are alone.

When the water was ready I brought it over to where Angeal was sitting, and mixed it with some cold water in a basin. "May I?" I asked quietly. "Yes pup, you may." His hair was fine and always a little coarse to the touch, but became like silk when wet. I massaged his scalp gently, and when I began to rinse it I swear I thought heard him let out something almost like a purr. He really did have a lot of sand and dust in his hair. "Occupational hazard", he called it. Sephiroth had more than several other names for it and for once I was glad he wasn't there.

Once he was toweled off, we made our way towards the house where I had been held. I was more than eager to take a bath and find my missing uniform but Angeal said those could wait for a bit. He wanted to make sure things were safe first. Once the fort was secure, Angeal decided that he wanted to lie down for a bit. It almost made me laugh, even though it wasn't funny. But it would allow me time for a bath, and a chance to make us both some food.

I did try to find my uniform. But it was not to be found. There were no other clothes left in the place either aside from what I woke up in when I arrived. Was this Orions idea of a joke? Part of a secret plan? Angeal has sworn to me since that I must have been in one of my bouts of obsessive puppy focus disorder. He refuses to discuss it any more.

The kitchen of the place didn't contain anything terribly fancy. I was able to scrounge up some rice and pickled vegetables, and bonito. There was an icebox that had a couple eggs, and, oddly enough, a earthenware jug of rather good sake in it. I debated whether or not I should bring the sake upstairs, but knowing Angeal, he'd probably make me go and get it if I mentioned it. So I took it upstairs anyway.

Angeal was lying on the bed as naked as the day he was born. And for once, he really was asleep. His head was turned slightly to the right, as if he had been looking out on the ocean. His left arm lay at an angle to his head. It was almost eerie because everything around the two of us was so peaceful. He did not open his eyes as I entered and laid the tray and the other things down on the dresser that served as a table. As I did so my balance suddenly shifted and the kimono slipped down my shoulder.

As I turned, I heard Angeal growl and before I could move his lips were buried against my bared neck. "You smell delicious!" he snarled as he pressed himself against me, his hands finding the sensitive spots under my kimono. " So much for rest and recuperation." I teased as I tried to squirm out of his grasp. As usual, I failed utterly. Angeal had found the spot on my neck and my knees were in danger.

"I need you inside me, now that it's just us. I'm tired of right and wrong. Fuck honor, wear, tear and rust!" I murmured in his ear. " I want to be with you as we've never been- because I love the wildness inside you."Angeal buried his lips in neck, again nipping the supple flesh. A small moan escaped me and my knees gave out. "I hear what you say," Angeal hissed in my ear. " And although the words are there, I think that I will only truly understand them when I hear you **scream** those words. And you will scream, pup."

We made love that afternoon. It was completely different from anything the two of us have done before or since. I'm not sure where I was all of the time; I know that I was in danger of leaving my body to fly at least twice. I remember moaning the words "Yours forever, always", as he demanded a response by growling the word "Mine?" in my ear. The words only served to increase his passion, But in the end he held me close and tight, as if he never wanted to let go. And I wasn't about to let him. In that moment there was no Shinra; no monsters, no corrupt renegade scientists with twisted agendas. If we were lost, it was willingly and together. And a bottle of good sake was put to excellent use, Angeal says. *

Later, as we managed to pull ourselves together enough to want to move, Angeal surprised me with what he had to say. "You did well, today, pup. If you weren't as proficient with a sword as you are, I'd say you'd be in line for a medic. And just between you and I- this is one scar that I won't mind. But you were also damned stupid. You put yourself in great danger for no reason. I'm concerned because you were so upset.

"I was afraid," I said, "of losing you." There it was. "I'm not going anywhere, pup." He said, and held me close. "I love you, Angeal." I whispered gently, even though part of me wanted to shout it to the world. " And I love you, Zack." For the first time in a long while, he had called me by my name. He moved from the bed then and fished around in his gear for something.

He told me to sit up and to close my eyes. I felt something cold circling my neck and heard a delicate clink as it locked into place. "All right pup, you can open them." Angeal said. Around my neck was a loose choker of silver chain, from which dangled a single magnificent Leviathan's Tear. I felt my eyes start to well up.

" You may take it off only when dress protocol demands it. Otherwise, I want you to be sure to leave it on." " Never, seme, " I whispered back. "It's beautiful." I found myself shaking, just a little. It was official, I was **his**.

xxxx

Neither of us have seen of Orion since that day. Angeal hasn't been able to trace him beyond a certain point. The whole thing reeks of yet more Shinra intrigue, a thing which I am beginning to find rather annoying. He and Sephiroth are in a secret bidding war with several somebodies over the ownership of the abandoned property. They won't say who. Things are pretty crazy around here these days but I've finally learned to adjust. Just as long as I have Angeal.

Zack

xxxxxx

Postscript from Jutah Larias-

Zack did visit the ruined village of Banora shortly before his untimely death at the hands of the Shinra army. There he found the approximate place where the Hewley home once stood and built a grave, which he covered with many flowers. He also constructed a beautiful marker from the remnants of banoran apple branches as well. Braxx and I found the remains of it when we explored. But my duty too has changed. Tomorrow Braxx and I go in search of Cloud Strife, whom we have both learned, though aged, still lives. I hope to return what is his to him unread.

J.L – Anno 35

xxxxxx

Zack: Oh my **god**. That was...I look like...GAH.... soooo **uke! (dies of embarrassment) **

Angeal: I **like** you in a kimono, pup. ( *growls* Pulls Zack over)

Cloud: Now that you know what it feels like, you won't be so quick with the jokes!

Zack: At least I dressed **myself**, chocobutt!

Aerith: Zack, I never knew you and Cloud had the same taste in lounge-wear! It really brings out the mako blue in your eyes!

Zack : (glares at Aerith in embarrassment again)

Angeal: What about me?

Aerith: You're more of a black and orange-red autumn type.

Angeal: (sighs with relief)

xxxxxxxxxxx

*- Potential Likely Future SMUT ALERT to be posted elsewhere if demanded.

XD


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